Sheriff gets wet

Tuesday

Aug 19, 2014 at 6:32 PMAug 19, 2014 at 6:32 PM

By Jeff Guy

Newton Kansan

Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton got a cold shower Tuesday afternoon.

A crowd of around 30 people, including Walton's wife, Karen Walton, gathered outside the Harvey County Courthouse to watch Walton get a bucket of ice water poured over his head. It was just after 5 p.m. and employees were pouring out of the courthouse for the day.

Cpl. Tim Boese and deputies Carmen Clark and Colt Phautz also got the ice water treatment.

They all were taking the ice bucket challenge to raise money and awareness of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

"I'm happy to do this," Walton said earlier in the day.

Walton was doing this in honor of Newton firefighter Vince Garcia and former Newton resident Evan Ice, both of whom have ALS.

Ice's sister, Nancy Ice Schulp, said the ice bucket challenge is "a fun way to make everyone aware of a disease that hasn't had significant gains in treatment since Lou Gehrig. I think it's accomplishing its goal and that's to raise awareness of the disease."

Sheri Flores arrived 10 minutes early. She was one of the first people to come to the courthouse lawn.

"My mother died of this disease," she said.

The rules of the ice bucket challenge are that a person has 48 hours to make a donation to the ALS Association or get a bucket of ice water over the head, Walton said. That person is then supposed to challenge two more people to make donations.

Walton said he is challenging Newton United Way Executive Director Tina Payne and Melissa Scheffler Hoyle of channel 12 to make donations.

Response on the sheriff's department's facebook page was overwhelmingly in support of the sheriff having ice water poured over his head. But he did make a donation of $100 and he stressed that it was his own money and not from department funds.

"It's coming out of my own pocket, my own wet pocket," Walton said.

Anyone wishing to make a donation to ALS research can go to the ALS Association's website at ALSA.org.